The Swiss National Bank’s (SNB) financial statements for the nine months ending September 30, 2022, show a bottom-line loss of US$150 billion.1 A number to get your attention!
Under the strong financial discipline of its charter act, the SNB must mark its investments to market, and reflect any market value loss or profit in its income statement and capital account. From having capital of $221 billion at the end of 2021, the SNB’s capital has been reduced by 73% to $59 billion on September 30 due to falling market prices. Still, the SNB has a capital ratio—a bank’s equity to its total assets—over 6%.